When we first meet Anne and Pierre, they seem to be a normal couple. They are dining out with their friends Victor and Claire. The first thing that raises our guard is when we see Pierre caressing Anne's hand at the cinema where they are watching a film. Anne, seems unduly irritated, for a woman that is happily married, when she takes her hand away. Later on, when Pierre meets Anne for lunch, her face reveals she is not physically in the restaurant with her husband; her mind is someplace else.
This tightly knitted film, directed by Christopher Vincent, who collaborated on the screen play with novelist Dan Franck, is a visual feast for lovers of the French cinema, as two of the best actors are paired to get inside the couple at the center of the story.
It doesn't feel strange that Anne confesses to Pierre that she has fallen in love with someone else. Anne is a woman that seems distant, even with her young son, Loulou, an eighteen months toddler, who must have arrived late in her life. At the same time, she gives the impression that she doesn't hate Pierre. In fact, after confessing to having another love interest, she cuddles in bed with Pierre.
Pierre, on the other hand, can't believe Anne could have betrayed him. He is a devoted husband and a loving father to his young son, who is the center of his life. Pierre realizes he will lose custody of Loulou because the French laws favor the mother as the natural custodian. The real surprise comes toward the end, when everything seems lost for Pierre. Anne confesses she has ended the liaison with this mystery man for good. That confession makes us wonder if there was ever such a person. Was Anne testing Pierre's love, or was she suffering boredom from a too normal life and wanted to add a spark to it? We never get to the answer, which will be different for many viewers.
The best achievement of this film is the superb acting Mr. Vincent got from his two stars. Isabelle Huppert is an enigmatic Anne. We never know where she is at any given time. In contrast, Daniel Auteuil's Pierre makes us feel the pain that has been inflicted in his heart by Anne's admission of another man in her life. Both actors give wonderful performances, guided by the director.
This film is painful to watch because of the raw intensity of what we see on the screen.
This tightly knitted film, directed by Christopher Vincent, who collaborated on the screen play with novelist Dan Franck, is a visual feast for lovers of the French cinema, as two of the best actors are paired to get inside the couple at the center of the story.
It doesn't feel strange that Anne confesses to Pierre that she has fallen in love with someone else. Anne is a woman that seems distant, even with her young son, Loulou, an eighteen months toddler, who must have arrived late in her life. At the same time, she gives the impression that she doesn't hate Pierre. In fact, after confessing to having another love interest, she cuddles in bed with Pierre.
Pierre, on the other hand, can't believe Anne could have betrayed him. He is a devoted husband and a loving father to his young son, who is the center of his life. Pierre realizes he will lose custody of Loulou because the French laws favor the mother as the natural custodian. The real surprise comes toward the end, when everything seems lost for Pierre. Anne confesses she has ended the liaison with this mystery man for good. That confession makes us wonder if there was ever such a person. Was Anne testing Pierre's love, or was she suffering boredom from a too normal life and wanted to add a spark to it? We never get to the answer, which will be different for many viewers.
The best achievement of this film is the superb acting Mr. Vincent got from his two stars. Isabelle Huppert is an enigmatic Anne. We never know where she is at any given time. In contrast, Daniel Auteuil's Pierre makes us feel the pain that has been inflicted in his heart by Anne's admission of another man in her life. Both actors give wonderful performances, guided by the director.
This film is painful to watch because of the raw intensity of what we see on the screen.